Take a Chance
by Fist-it-Out
Summary: Addison Davis was wild, rebellious, carefree, and everything Zed wasn't. He never thought he'd ever speak more than a few words to her. But when Addison needs a favor and the only person she can ask is Zed, they end up bonding in ways neither of them ever expected.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **Shut up shut up shut up. I shouldn't have started a new story but listen! Me and my tumblr mother, kokinu09, were just talking and then I casually mentioned this story idea and she got happy so I am now writing a story dedicated to my tumblr mother. This story is about Addison and Zed and…aside from the summary, that's all I'll tell you about it. As the story goes, you will learn more. This chapter is a little short just because I wanted to get it out but all the others will be a lot longer!**

**human!au**

* * *

It's the middle of the night. He should be sleeping, but instead he's sitting at his desk with his physics textbook and notes open, his desk lamp barely keeping his eyes from straining. He's studying for a test that won't be there for another two weeks but he can't sleep and can't watch television without waking up his dad.

Down in the alley, there's laughter followed by the unmistakable sound of two pebbles hitting a window. Zed knows without looking what's going on—his neighbor, Addison, is yanking her bedroom window open and hops out to join her two friends in the alley. Zed is tempted to go and look, out of curiosity, but he knows he's right. He's seen it, twice. The first was the first time it happened three months ago, and the second was a few nights ago, from the same curiosity that was drawing him to his window now.

Addison is in the alley with her friends—Bree he knows but it's too dark to see who else is there. There's enough light coming from his lamp to illuminate Addison's face, laughing and beaming. She catches him watching and smirks, gives him a two finger salute, then runs down the alley with her friends.

Zed goes back to his seat, but he can't concentrate anymore. Addison Davis is stuck in his head now. It starts out small, but turns invasive and unstoppable. He can't get rid of every minuscule interaction he's ever had with his amazing, cool, rebellious, pretty neighbor. All of which he can count on his two hands.

With studying out of his mind, he sighs and stands. '_I should go to bed_,' he thinks. He's got a clear view of Addison's bedroom from his window. It's been the same view since he was seven, only now she kept her curtains open all the time, even when she's changing. It was a problem the first few times Zed had looked out his window and gotten more than an eyeful, but by now he knows when he _shouldn't _be looking, which usually ends up being a few minutes after they get home from school.

Zed flicks off the lamp and moves in the darkness to his bed. Addison sneaks out every few nights; there's no pattern to the days, but she's usually with college kids so Zed suspects she's going to some raging college party with lots of drugs, alcohol, and sex. It's logical, really. She may be the daughter of the former mayor and the chief of police, but she was wild and unpredictable in the best way possible.

'_Stop thinking, go to sleep_.'

* * *

Zed had to be up and at work by nine thirty, but it never stopped him from being dressed and outside by eight forty-five every Saturday. Lizzie Gonzalez, the owner of _Brain Foods_, shows up exactly twelve minutes later with a box of bagels. She's going to hit seventy-two in a few weeks and is the sweetest little old lady Zed knows. Zed stands so she can unlock the doors and let them both in, while she greets him with, "Good morning."

"Morning," he mumbles, still tired but smiling.

Mrs. Gonzalez fishes the keys out and takes a moment to unlock the door. Zed slips behind her and holds it open, making the older woman smile. "Always a gentleman."

Heat spreads up his neck and across his cheeks. He ducks his head bashfully and walks inside, locking the door behind him. He'll go back and open it in fifteen minutes for the rest of the morning crew.

"You hungry, Zed?" Mrs. Gonzalez asks. "I brought bagels!"

"No thank you, I ate at home."

"How could you pass up free food?" Mrs. Gonzalez asks incredulously. She waves him off before he can say anything. "I'll fix you a bagel and some coffee. Go put your stuff down."

"You don't—"

She points a finger at him and says, "Don't argue with your elders, Boy."

Zed bites his lip to keep from laughing and instead nods. "Okay. I'll be right back."

He heads to the back, going past the store room and into the employee break room. He puts his jacket and backpack in his locker and makes his way back to the front. Mrs. Gonzalez has set up the bagels and cream cheese on the counter that he's gonna have to clean before they open, and she's at the coffee machine, making him a pot.

"Help yourself, Sweetie," she tells him.

"Thank you," he mutters.

He picks out an everything bagel and plain cream cheese. He leans on the counter to eat, and a few minutes later Mrs. Gonzalez slides him a mug of coffee. They have a light conversation like they do every Saturday morning. Mrs. Gonzalez goes to the back to take inventory while Zed opens the door for the morning staff to come and starts setting up for breakfast.

* * *

During the week, Zed works in the store room and the kitchen. He's always the tallest one there and can reach the shelves most people need a step ladder to get to. But on weekends, he gets to work the counter until he gets off at three thirty. He doesn't have to worry about screwing up someone's food or burning his hand on the oven. He just hits a few keys and sends in orders. Or, on really good days, all he had to do is make a few drinks or call out complete food orders.

It's a slow morning; Zed sits on a stool behind the counter, reading the Saturday paper. The bell above the door rings maybe twice every half an hour. Zed knows it'll pick up around noon, once the lunch crowd hits and he won't be able to stay seated. For now, he's enjoying the silence and the paper and being able to sit down for a bit.

The bell above the door rings; out of habit, Zed looks up to see who's come in and is shocked to find Addison Davis, in all her glory, sauntering in. She was a sight to behold, in her baggy camouflage pants and her skin tight white tank top and her chains all over her pants. She puts her hands on the counter and smiles wickedly, the stud in the corner of her lip sparkling in the bright lights.

"Hey Zed."

He lets out a high pitched squeak and immediately blushes. There's no way she didn't notice, but she doesn't say anything about it which makes him feel a little relieved. He clears his throat and says, "Uh, hi."

Addison giggles, which sounds like absolute music. His heart races; he never thought someone could be so adorable yet so fierce all at once.

Addison raises an expectant eyebrow at him. It takes him a minute to realize that he's on the clock and supposed to take her order. "Oh! Um, can I get you anything?" he asks.

Addison shakes her head, which confuses him. He doesn't understand why she'd come to a restaurant if she wasn't getting food. Before he can voice it, though, Addison says, "I need a huge favor from you so please don't say no

because I'm desperate."

"What?"

"At around noon I think, my mom is gonna call your dad and invite you and your family over for dinner tonight," Addison says, as if she were exposing some top secret plan to bust them out of jail. "She's a bored housewife and she's trying to reconnect with her neighbors or some bullshit. I personally think it's a part of her scheme to run for mayor next year, but that's not the point."

"Uh huh?"

"I need to go out tonight," she says. "Which I can't do if she's having some stupid dinner party."

"Okay."

"But she won't let me out of it. So I figured you could help me by maybe pretending to get sick or something so we have to cut it short. Then I get to go out!"

Zed purses his lips, not seeing what he gains in this deal. '_You get to make Addison happy!_' his brain tells him. '_She's actually talking to you! Maybe she'll ask you for more favors!_'

"I know you're wondering what you get," she says. "So I figured…you could come with me."

His eyes go wide in surprise and panic. Addison doesn't seem to notice and keeps talking. "It's just a show, but it's like, an hour away. It'll be fun, you'll like it. And there's really good food, not the crap my mom will feed you."

"Uh…"

"I really need this, Zed," she adds. "And I know you wanna go! I've seen you look out the window when I leave at night. I know you wonder where we go. Take a chance and just go out with me."

Addison throws on a pout that shouldn't even be legal. It's insane how adorable she looks with her lips and eyebrows pierced, _pouting_ of all things. So _of course_ he agrees, and Addison goes from pouting to beaming.

"Thank you! Gimme your number so I can text you the details."

Zed nods dumbly. Addison smirks and raises an eyebrow, sliding him her phone. His hands are shaking and he messed up typing in his phone number several times, but he finally manages. Addison thanks him one last time, then leaves.

He has no idea how on earth he's going to pull off a whole night of hanging with Addison. He can't even talk around her. This is a bad idea.

From the coffee machines, Wynter teases him and asks, "Zed, what have you gotten yourself into?"

"Shut up!"

Wynter laughs. "Zed, you've been completely red since she walked in!"

"Shut. Up. _Please_."

Wynter lifts her hand as a signal of a white flag. "All I'm saying is that you're gonna have to tell me all about this disaster," she says.

Zed is ready to throw some old receipts at her, but a customer walks in and he has to put on a smile for them.


	2. Chapter 2

Just like Addison said, Zed's dad texts him and tells him that Missy Davis invited them over for dinner. When he gets off, Zed picks up his sister from her friend's house. She sits in her room and picks out her dinner clothes while Zed takes a shower. Ever since he spoke with Addison, his brain had been going a million miles a minute. He'd messed up at least eight food orders, much to the amusement of Wynter. He just couldn't concentrate when he was thinking about Addison. It was like an ear worm, but in his brain. Once he started, he couldn't stop.

In the shower, he lets the water wash over him for what feels like ten minutes but is actually close to forty, and lets his brain spiral into Addison-land. He's known Addison his whole life and has been hopelessly in love with her for five years; he's got a good reserve of memories of her that make his palms sweaty and his heart race and a soft smile grace his face. Thinking about them all makes the idea of spending an extended period of time with her a lot more bearable.

He's almost eighteen, so the years before age seven are a blur of random flashes of memories and feelings. And a lot of them pertain to Addison. They used to hang out a lot as toddlers, and only stopped because Addison's parents sent her to the private school on the other side of Seabrook and she made high-end friends. They couldn't hang out after either because Addison either had gymnastics or tutoring.

In the seventh grade, there was an incident at Addison's fancy private middle school involving an eighth grader and a science teacher. It was February but Addison didn't even get to finish the school year, getting put in Zed's school. But it was nearly ten years too late for them to be friends. Addison was an outsider for the rest of middle school.

And when high school came, everything changed. Zed remembers the day clearly: it was November 9th, freshmen year, the Monday after the most recent cheer championship that Addison and the other cheerleaders just bombed. When Zed saw her in homeroom, he was shocked to find that she had chopped off all of her hair into a haircut that barely touched her ears. She wore dark makeup as opposed to her normal light blush and eyeshadow. And her clothes—instead of pastel blues and pinks, she wore black leggings and sweaters.

Over the next few months, Addison developed her style and personality that Zed was now used to. She got a second piercing in her ear and pierced her eyebrow and even her lip, all on three separate occasions. She was so much herself that Zed couldn't help but love everything about her. And she was so _happy_ too.

The longest Zed had talked to her since they were kids was that morning. He would always choke up or stutter and stumble and end up running away. All seven of their interactions all occurred within the past three years.

The first was their first day of freshman year. Zed was with his two best friends—Eliza and Bonzo—and they just found his own locker. He put his new textbooks and notebooks away and closed the door the find Addison Davis standing next to him and flinched in surprise, drawing her attention.

She had smiled at him and said, "Actual neighbors and locker neighbors. What a coincidence, am I right?"

Zed has chuckled nervously. "That's…that's crazy," he had stammered.

Addison covered her mouth to hide her giggles. Someone down the hall called her name and she glanced at them, then back at Zed. "I'll see you later, Zed!" She closed her locker, waved at him, and walked away.

"That's crazy," Eliza mocked in a dopey low voice. She hit Zed's arm and said, "Idiot."

He did sound like an idiot. He always did whenever he was around Addison.

The bathroom door opens and he feels the sudden temperature change from the hallway rushing into his warm shower and shivers. "Zoey get out!" he shouts.

"You get out! I gotta shower!" his nine year old sister shouts.

Zed rolls his eyes. "Five minutes, Zoe."

"Don't test me Zed! I will open the shower curtain and expose you!"

"Okay!"

"I'm setting a timer!" Zoey warns.

Zed waves her off. Zoey groans and storms out of the bathroom, slamming the door. Five minutes is plenty of time to relive the other six moments he's had with Addison. Like he does everyday. Several times.

Interaction number two was just days before the cheer championship. They were both in the nurse's office: Addison had rolled her ankle during cheer practice and Zed…ran into a wall and busted his nose. Nurse Jenny had given him an ice pack and then left the two of them there while she went to take care of something. They didn't talk, but just sat together. It was nice to not be alone.

Interaction number three was March sophomore year, on Zed's birthday. He invited his friends over and they hung out and watched movies. When his social battery ran out, he slipped away and hid in his room, using the excuse that he needed to send his teacher something really quickly. For ten minutes.

When he got to his room, he noticed Addison sitting on her windowsill and found himself opening his window to join her. He had never been that bold before, and regretted the decision the second he was sitting across from her.

"Hey," she had greeted. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Aren't you having a party?"

Zed shrugged, his nerves making him look down at the grass between them.

"I…needed a—uh—break."

Addison nodded. "Okay."

They sat in silence for a while, until Zed decided to head back to his party. "I'm going back inside," he said quietly. "Bye."

Addison waved at him.

The next time they talked, interaction number four, was the first day of junior year because they were locker neighbors again. Number five happened later that same week, at home, when he helped her and her mom carry in groceries. Number six was at her family's Christmas party junior year. And number seven was a week ago, in English class, when Addison needed to borrow a pen and several sheets of paper.

He smiles at the memories and shuts off the shower water. If he takes any longer, Zoey is going to burst in on him naked and he doesn't want that to happen.

* * *

Zed originally put on a white tee shirt, dark jeans, and white converse. Once his dad got home he had to switch into a black short-sleeved button down shirt. Zoey has to wear one of her recital dresses. Missy Davis opens the door for them and they all go inside.

"The dining room is right this way," Missy says as she leads them down a hallway. Before they can turn into the dining room, Missy calls down the hallway, "Addison it's dinner time!"

Missy leads them into the dining room, but Zed lingers in the hall for a second longer, seeing the room door on the end open and Addison strut out. His mouth runs dry at the sight of her in her perfect home. She's wearing a black, extra large sweater that goes below her butt, pink stockings with fishnets over them and metallic sneakers, and a black beanie pulled over the top of her hair.

Addison walks a little quickly down the hall and stops in front of him. "You ready?" she whispers.

Instead of answering her question, Zed blurts out, "You look beautiful." Addison blinks in surprise and his face goes red instantly. "I mean—I—Yes, I think. I—yes."

Addison raises an eyebrow. "Twenty minutes, that's not that long. Eat a little, get sick, go home and change. Simple."

He nods and swallows. "Simple," he squeaks out.

"Don't be nervous," Addison assures him. "Once we're outta here we're gonna have so much fun in Suma."

Zed nods. He's not nervous about the lying and the tricks. Okay he is nervous because he'll never be able to fool his dad and he knows that this will probably go terribly wrong but hopefully his dad won't say anything. But he's more nervous about having actual conversation with Addison for at least twenty minutes. Fun.

* * *

Zed ends up sitting next to Addison. His cheeks are still a little red from their conversation in the hallway, and it only gets worse once they sit down and he manages to miss his mouth when he drinks his water. Across from him, Zoey giggles at his misfortune. Zevon gives his son a tired look and sighs.

"I'm so sorry," Zed mumbles, grabbing his napkin and spilling his utensils onto the table to clean off his chin and shirt.

"Zed's so clumsy," Zoey says, amused.

Zed blushes harder and ducks his head down. He glances at Addison out of the corner of his eye and sees her watching him. He's a mess, really. The faster this dinner is over the faster he can go home. Maybe he can even bail on the show they're going to or whatever it is. The less social time the better.

After a few minutes of casual talking, Missy and Dale start serving food. Addison nudges Zed's knee, sending a surge of adrenaline through his body. Missy serves pasta and chicken, which, if you ask Zed, was perfect. It was loaded with dairy and seasoning, all things he could use to fake sickness.

Just as everyone is about to start eating, Missy looks at Zed and asks, "How are you liking senior year, Zed? It'll be easier to get an answer out of you than out of Addison."

Addison groans under her breath, but Zed just looks down at his food. He doesn't like being put on the spot.

"Fine," he mutters.

"You sound just like Addison," Dale jokes.

"Dad," Addison groans. "Why don't you grill the adults and leave us alone? Everyone would be so much happier that way."

Zed looks at Addison's parents, who are wearing pained smiles. "You're absolutely correct, Dear," Missy says through gritted teeth. "Why don't you and Zed and Zoey move to the kitchen? Like a kids table."

Zed looks at Addison, who's right eye twitches a few times before she puts on a frightening smile. She stands up and picks up her plate. "No need for everyone to have to separate. I'll finish my dinner in my room."

Addison storms out of the dining room and a few seconds later, they hear her room door slam shut. Missy sighs and looks up, smiling at her guests. "I'm sorry about that, we're working through some issues," she apologizes.

"I have a teenager too," Zevon says, trying to lighten the mood. "Sometimes we don't see Zed for a good three days, always holed up in that room of his."

The adults and Zoey all laugh and Zed blushes harder. He slumps in his chair and eats part of his meal in silence. A minute later, Addison texts him. He keeps his phone under the table to read her message.

_Addison Davis (NEIGHBOR): Are you still okay with the plan? _

_Zed: Yes. Now? _

_Addison Davis (NEIGHBOR): Yeah that's cool_

"Zed's on his phone at the table," Zoey snitches.

Zed's head snaps up and his eyes go wide. Zoey smiles innocently, but Zed knows she's being the devil on purpose. Zevon just looks at his son and Zed sighs, knowing what's coming. He sends Addison a warning text, locks his phone, and hands it to his dad.

"How compliant," Dale notices.

"May I use your restroom?" Zed asks.

Missy nods and gives him directions to the bathroom and gets up and leaves quickly. He locks himself in the bathroom and leans back against the door, letting out a sigh.

He sat next to Addison for seven whole minutes and didn't explode. He managed to say a few words to her without screwing up too badly. He could do this. A small voice in his head wondered if he still had to fake get sick, now that Addison left the dinner. He knows he has to though, if not for Addison then for himself. He _really _didn't want to be there. He sits on the floor near the toilet, manages to make a few fake retching sounds, flushes the toilet and lets the sink run for a bit.

"Look sick," he tells himself. His cheeks are red, which is a good start.

He takes a deep breath and leaves the bathroom, walking quickly to his dad. "I-uh-kinda threw up," he whispers. "My stomach hurts, Dad."

Zevon raises a concerned eyebrow at his son. "Are you sick?"

Zed nods. Missy and Dale have stopped talking to listen in. He can't lie under so much pressure. At least Addison wasn't there, otherwise he'd be on the verge of passing out. He already hated lying to his dad.

"I…" he looks at Missy and says, "I'm allergic to citrus. Could it be possible that there was maybe any…lime? In the chicken?"

"Oh I don't know," Missy says, looking apologetic.

Zed's stomach knots with guilt. He winces, which adds to the sick effect. He feels bad for lying to Addison's parents and his dad. But it's either lie or lose Addison-time.

"Dad," Zed fakes a groan.

Zevon looks at his son and Zed knows that his dad doesn't believe anything he's saying. He thinks he's about to be called out, but instead his dad stands up and says, "I'd better take him home, get him some allergy medicine."

Missy and Dale nod in understanding. Zoey complains but everyone says their goodbyes before the Necrodopoluses head home. Once they're inside, Zevon stops Zed from going into his room.

"Is there a reason you wanted to leave dinner?" Zevon asks with a raised eyebrow.

Zed shakes his head, pressing his lips in a firm line.

Zevon sighs but steps out of Zed's way, passing him back his cell phone. "Well goodnight then."

Zed gives his dad a weak wave, then makes a beeline for his bedroom.

* * *

Zed has no idea what to wear. He _really_ wants to impress Addison. He spends a good eight and a half minutes standing in front of his closet, before deciding to through a hoodie on over his shirt. Once he's dressed, he sits on his bed and starts reading through his physics textbook. Math always helped to keep him out of Addison land. Even though he hates physics with every bone in his body, it keeps his mind off of Addison.

Until Addison is knocking on his window, still dressed like she was for dinner. She smiles at him and his heart flutters. There's no way he'll get through this night without having a panic attack. He can already feel it building inside.

He grabs his phone, turns off his lights, pulls the window open and climbs out. He makes sure not to close it completely so he can sneak back in, then takes a deep breath. It's go time.

He turns and tries to smile at Addison. He's not very sure the goal was accomplished, but Addison smiles, amused, so he counts it as a win.

"You ready?" Addison asks.

Zed nods, hard and fast enough to make his neck ache. "Totally not freaking out," he mutters. He doesn't think Addison heard but she laughs, and he blushes. She loops her arm in his and walks down the alley, toward the sidewalk. Zed nearly falls, his mind racing because _oh my god she's touching me._ Addison either doesn't notice his sudden panic or chooses to ignore it.

"You're gonna love this, trust me," she assures him.

Unable to say any words, he nods, and lets her lead him to the end of the street. Parked right next to the stop sign is a black SUV that makes him feel like he's about to be kidnapped. The passenger window rolls down and Addison's older cousin, Bucky, is scowling at them.

"Who the fuck is that?"

"Zed, my neighbor," Addison explains. "He's also my alibi, So he's coming with us."

"You're kidding."

Addison just stares at him and Bucky says, "She's not kidding. Okay Beanstalk, get in."

Zed's eyebrows raise in surprise. Bucky rolles his window up and Addison looks up at Zed. "He can be the worst sometimes," she says as an apology.

She pulls the door open and climbs in. "Bucky move your chair up," she says as Zed climbs in. Bucky grumbles and complains but moves his chair. As soon as Zed closes the door, the driver, who is a girl from Bucky's class who Zed doesn't really know, speeds away.

"Okay Zed," Addison says. "You know Bree," she points next to her and Bree waves. Zed gives her a nervous smile in return. "In the back are Stacey and Tracey. Lacey is driving. You probably remember them."

"Don't say that silly, childish nickname," Tracey warns behind him, making Zed jump.

"We've grown up," Stacey adds.

Zed nods. He feels pretty lucky because he doesn't remember the nickname anyway. Bucky turns in his seat to look at his younger cousin. "Why did you need an alibi, exactly?" Bucky asks.

"My mom had a stupid dinner," Addison says, adding a scoff on the end. "Zed pretended to get sick so it would be cut short."

"What a gentleman," Bucky says sarcastically.

Zed's brows furrow but he can feel his ears heating up. Addison pinches Zed's side lightly and he squirms against the door. "Bucky's a bit of an asshole, don't mind him," she says.

"Uh, okay," Zed mutters. "I—Okay."

Addison giggles and leans against him, making his heart rate pick up. She's leaning against him, they're practically _cuddling_!

Bucky puts on the radio and Stacey and Tracey start having a conversation behind them. Addison glances up at Zed and whispers, "Is this okay?"

Zed's breath catches in his throat. His mouth is dry—Addison is actually talking to him and leaning against him and his heart is going to explode. He nods and she smiles, then gets comfortable against him.

"It'll be a long drive, you'd better get cozy, Stretch."

She even has a cute nickname for him. He can feel the sweat glands opening and everything already going to shit. He's sweating and his heart is pounding. And now his stomach is twisting in knots. He needs to pee, he needs to pee really bad.

'_It's just nerves_,' he tells himself. '_You're hanging out with Addison_.'

Addison pulls out her phone and starts playing a game. Zed watches for a second, then looks out the window. He watches everything pass by in a blur. It's easier than looking at Addison, who's leaning against him casually and making his heart race. He sighs; if only she knew what she does to him. How she makes him feel all the time. That her just leaning against him was going to make his heart explode.

As soon as they're on the highway, Addison puts her phone away and starts a conversation with Bree. She's still leaning against him, with her feet in Bree's lap. She's not even wearing a seatbelt. It's a dangerous position because if they were to crash, she'd go flying. And then he'd have to live a life without Addison. He doesn't even know where it'd start.

First he would lose seeing her room all the time. He can already see her parents closing her blinds, leaving her bedroom the same way it was to keep her memory alive. He wouldn't get to see her doing homework or dancing around her room again. He wouldn't see her sneaking out to go hang out with her friends. And he'd lose his locker neighbor. Her chair behind him in English class would be empty. The whole school would just feel so _different_ without Addison.

"Zed?" Addison asks, looking up at him. He snaps out of his panic, realizing that he's hyperventilating and needs to calm down. They all probably think he's a freak. "You good dude?"

Zed nods but he knows she doesn't believe him. "You're hyperventilating, what's going on in that head of yours?"

"N…nothing," he stammers.

"Are you sure?"

He nods. "I'm fine."

"Okay."

She turns back to Bree to continue their conversation, and Zed breathes. It will only get worse from here. He catches sight of Bucky staring at him and quickly looks away, back out the window. Bucky scoffs and says something under his breath that Zed chooses to ignore.

* * *

Addison had said they were going to a show, which Zed learns is a concert. It's a small venue and there's a large crowd outside. Addison's friends drop the two of them off at the front, then disappear down the street. Zed doesn't have time to be worried because Addison grabs his hand and pulls him through the crowd. The people they push past scowl and curse at them, and Zed has the decency to look apologetic. He ducks his head down like Addison, his eyes following her metallic sneakers so he doesn't get lost. Once the reach the doors, Addison says, "Let him in, Jack, he's with me," she says. Zed looks up and sees a brute man nod at Addison.

Addison turns to Zed, stands on her toes, and says into his ear, "Head to auditorium 3. It's a left, a right, and at the end of the hall. There'll be a stage and a lot of people. Find a table and stay there. I'll come find you after."

Zed manages to nod before Addison disappears back into the crowd and Jack nods for Zed to go inside. "Left, right, end of the hall," he mutters. He keeps repeating it until he's standing in front of auditorium 3. There are two doors and he figures it doesn't matter which one he goes in through.

The lights are dim and there's already an average sized crowd that Zed has to shoulder his way through to get to the tables along the wall. There are only two seats at the table and a small part of him was afraid that someone would sit with him.

Zed rubs his hands on his pants several times. He surveys the room for any familiar faces, like Addison or her friends, but it's too dark to even see anything. From what he could see, there were a few teens, some young adults, but they were all wearing dark colors and the vast majority had dyed hair and a piercing or tattoo. He slumps in his seat, feeling like he doesn't belong in the crowd.

He doesn't think it can get any darker but it does, the lights on the stage cutting on just as the lights go out. The room is buzzing with excitement, which gives Zed the same rush. Unless it's anxiety, but he's pretty sure it's excitement. He's never been to a concert. _And_, if his dad found out that he snuck out and went to a concert with his shady neighbor, he'd be dead. He's filled with a strange sense of rebellion and adrenaline and…yep, it's anxiety.

There's so much going on, Zed is working in overdrive to try and take it all in. A couple making out over here, a group of excited teenagers over there. Food and drinks arriving at the tables around him, the doors he'd entered through being shut and secured.

A cheer courses through the crowd, which makes him look to the stage in a panic. He's sitting close enough that he can see the four people spreading out on stage, heading to the separate instruments, and it's the guys from the car, all except for Bree and Addison. Bucky's on guitar and Stacey is playing bass, Tracey is at the drums and Lacey at the keyboard. Then Addison is strutting across the stage with a microphone in hand and the crowd is going wild. Zed's jaw drops in shock.

Addison is grinning, her eyes searching the crowd for a moment before she catches his eye and winks. She actually winks.

"Good evening, Suma!" Addison calls into the microphone. The crowd whoops and claps. "Are you guys ready to party!" she shouts into the microphone, earning an even louder cheer from the crowd.

"If y'all don't know, I'm Addy D.," the crowd cheers and she laughs, waiting for them to settle down a little so she can continue, "this is my band _High Spirit_, and we're your awesome entertainment for the next hour!"

The crowd cheers again. Addison smiles a bright and charming smile. "Alright the first thing we're playing tonight is one of my favorites, something we're playing for the first time ever. It's called 'Nightmare.' Enjoy!"

* * *

Addison is phenomenal on stage. She dances and sings with so much passion and the music is so raw and good. Zed didn't think it was possible to fall more in love with her, yet here he was, sinking in the never ending ocean that is his love for Addison.

The show ends about an hour later, with Addison promising another performance to come up in about a half an hour before her and her band head offstage. She locks eyes with Zed and nods toward backstage, which he figures means that he needs to go find her backstage. Just as he gets up, his phone vibrates with a text from Addison.

_Addison Davis (NEIGHBOR): Meet me out front Zed_

He sends her a thumbs up and pushes his way through the crowd to get back out. He walks quickly back out to the main entrance, suddenly feeling like he could breathe again. He hadn't even noticed how stuffy the venue was but he's just glad to be out.

"Zed!" He turns at the call of his name to see Addison jogging to him. He sucks in a nervous breath, feeling his heart rate pick up already.

She stops in front of him and smiles, shoving her hands in her pocket. "What'd you think of the show?"

"I love you," he blurts, catching Addison by surprise. "The show! I loved you, performing. You were great and I'm so—wow, I loved it." He stumbles over his words and just stops talking to save himself from further embarrassment.

Addison giggles though, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go grab some food."

"What?"

Addison loops her arm and his and starts down the sidewalk. "There's a really good diner a few blocks away. Plus, I've got my car stashed there so we have to head there anyway."


	3. Chapter 3

The walk to the diner is silent, except for the few times Addison elbows Zed and giggles as if she was being sly. It's cute and endearing and not something he'd expect from her, yet he can't imagine anyone else doing it either. The host smiles at Addison and leads the two of them to a booth near the back. He slides in first and Addison slides in right next to him.

"Bree's taking the others home," she explains. "They have to head back to campus tonight and need to get shit from her house. But I figured since neither of us ate at dinner, we could grab a bite now then head home."

She actually sounds a bit nervous. But that doesn't make sense. Addison Davis doesn't get nervous. She's confident and fierce and not afraid of anything.

Zed nods once. "Oh, okay."

Addison looks up at him and smiles. Her fingers are fidgeting and she's definitely nervous. "Did you actually like the show?" she asks, nervous and shy. "It's okay if you didn't. You don't have to lie to me to spare my feelings, I'm a big girl."

It's so incredibly endearing that Zed can't help but smile (and want to kiss her). "It was great, Addison," he says earnestly. He's proud of both her and himself. She was on fire on stage and he actually said a sentence to her without feeling like he might vomit.

"I-I didn't know you sang," he says, "and you were…you were on fire."

Addison raises an eyebrow in surprise, her cheeks dusted with red. Zed adjusts in his seat to face her more. He asks her, "Is that where you sneak off to all the time?"

Addison shakes her head. "We only perform every few weeks, but we go out to shows all the time. Or to rehearse."

Zed nods along. That makes sense. "But I'm glad you had a good time," she says. "I didn't think concerts were your thing. Especially…that type of concert. 'Cause you don't seem like the type of guy who'd like…I think Bucky calls it alternative music."

"Um, what type of music do you think I'd like?"

Addison shrugs. "Some variation of pop or something," she admits. "More mainstream stuff at least."

Zed chuckles, ducking his head down to blush. Unfortunately (or not, he hasn't really decided what his good luck is) Addison simply bends down a little to get into his line of sight. She smiles at him and says, "Oh, I didn't see you there," and all of his anxieties melt away. He hasn't had an actual conversation with her in over a decade, but it's surprisingly easy. She's so much of herself and he can't even understand why he was ever nervous in the first place.

Zed lets a laugh out through his nose. Addison rolls her eyes and sits upright. "You know you blush a lot," she points out. "I don't think I've ever seen your actual skin tone."

"Wh-what if my skin is naturally red?"

"I've seen your pictures on Instagram!" she argues. "But your blush is cute so I'll let it slide."

Zed blinks and blushes harder. Scratch everything he said about talking to her being easy. Addison giggles at his embarrassment, and their waiter walks up to their table, grinning. He looks about their age, maybe a little bit older than them. And he's cute too. The way he smiles at Addison makes Zed a little jealous. Scratch that, he's very jealous, and it's not justified at all. Him and Addison are not together in any way, shape, or form.

"Hey Addison," the dude says. "Did Bree get a new haircut or something? I swear she looks different."

Addison and the dude both laugh and Zed gives a halfhearted smile so he isn't too left out. "This is my friend, Zed," Addison introduces. "Zed, this is Darren. He graduated from our school like two years ago."

"It's nice to meet you," Zed says (it isn't).

"You too," Darren says. "Have you always been at Seabrook High? I don't seem to remember you being around."

"We've been in the same class since the sixth grade," Addison says. "Me and Zed go way back."

Darren's smile falters a little and Zed's happy that Addison's words discourage him. "Well that's good, I didn't think your other friends were real," he jokes and laughs.

Addison laughs too, then says, "We just want burgers and fries and milkshakes." She turns to Zed and asks, "What flavor?"

"Uh, vanilla."

"Lame," she teases. "I'll have the chocolate. And also can you make sure that nothing citrusy gets near his food? He's got a citrus allergy and we're technically not supposed to be here so if he has to go to the hospital shit will be bad."

"Of course," Darren says. "I'll go put this in. Be back in a bit."

Addison smiles and Darren walks away. Zed looks down at Addison, who wiggles her eyebrows fancily. "I was gonna wink but I don't wanna embarrass myself," she says, making him laugh.

He gapes at her. "You can't wink?"

"Don't scream it for the whole world to know!"

The laugh tumbles out of him and a tiny part of him has the decency to feel bad. But Addison is laughing and smiling too, so his regret fades away.

"Winking is so easy," he says, and to prove it, he gives her a wink that makes her giggle. He wants to make her giggle all the time, it's so cute and adorable and so _Addison_.

"Well you'll have to teach me then," she says.

"Of course."

Addison's smile widens and her eyes twinkle. She's so cute, especially when she's this happy. He takes a mental picture so he can remember this moment forever.

Darren returns and gives them their food and shakes. As he's walking away, Zed notices his lingering gaze on Addison, but she's scooting closer to him and snuggling into his side, which he calls a win.

They eat and talk, and end up hanging in the diner until it's closing and they're kicked out. Addison drives them back to Seabrook and they say goodnight in the alley, then climb back into their respective rooms.

* * *

Zed's alarm is supposed to go off at eleven, but Zoey has other plans. She bursts into his room at eight in the morning and she's a ball of energy that he wants to fling out the window. She jumps on his bed and wakes him up. "Zeddy do you feel any better?" she shouts her question at him and he groans, fighting the urge to push her off the bed.

"What time is it?" he complains.

"Eight fifteen," she says. "Mommy's taking us out for breakfast but I told her that you were sick last night so she asked me to see how you were feeling."

That catches his attention. Their mom is supposed to be in California working on her stupid series. She can't just pick and choose when she wants to be their mom. She can't just decide randomly 'Better go disrupt the peace of my children's lives.' It's unfair to him and to Zoey. These are all things Zed has told his dad in an angry bout after Zed was forced to skip Eliza's birthday party because his mother was in town for two days and wanted to spend time with her children for once. And now he had the perfect out to not go to her stupid breakfast.

"Get off of me," Zed complains. "And yes I'm still sick. I'm not coming."

Zoey pouts and stops moving. "But Mommy will have to leave tonight! She wants to see us! When else will we get to see her?"

'_On the television,_' he thinks bitterly.

"I'll…say hi to her when she comes. But let me sleep now."

"Okay." She gets off of him and runs out of his room, letting his door slam shut.

Zed pulls his blanket up over his face for it to be completely dark again. He's asleep again within minutes and doesn't wake up for another hour and a half, when Zoey is waking him up again. She's chanting, "Mommy's here!" and Zed is afraid that this is the day he's going to fight his little sister.

He pushes her and she nearly falls off his bed. Zoey climbs down and runs out of his room, still shouting for her mother. Zed rolls his eyes and sits up. He slips out of bed and heads down the hall to greet his mother.

She's holding Zoey in her arms and smiling and Zed has to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He's so sick of his mother, honestly. She broke his dad's heart seven years ago and ran off to California with a stupid television series she "wrote" and acts in. She never really calls them or visits but when she does she expects them all to drop everything and give her all of their attention.

She beams when she sees him and Zed puts on a polite smile. "Zed! Baby, I haven't seen you in forever!" she exclaims.

"Hi Mom," he greets. "Didn't know you were coming today."

"Well we were taking a few days off and I figured I might as well visit my two favorite people."

"So you're here for a few days?" Zed questions, already knowing the answer. She was probably fooling around with her new husband somewhere and decided to intrude on their lives last minute.

"Sorry, but I have to fly back tonight."

Zed hums and nods. "Well I'm sick, so I can't join you for breakfast."

Lauren frowns. "Aw, I've missed my little boy. You look fine to me."

"Try visiting more and maybe you'll catch me when I'm feeling fine," he grumbles.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Zed chimes. "Guess I'll see you later, Lauren."

She frowns but doesn't say anything. "Of course I'll be back. You feel better, okay?"

Zed is already walking back to his room and calls over his shoulder, "Yup."

He closes his room door and glances at his bed. He's been woken twice already and trying to sleep seems like a waste of time now. Brain Foods isn't open on Sundays, his dad is at work, and he's got a math quiz the next day. So he does what any sensible person would do and watches movies on his laptop (from illegal streaming websites, of course).

Zed can't even focus on the eighty millionth Spider-Man movie he's watching. He could hear Lauren and Zoey out in the hall, then outside as they left for breakfast and a 'Mommy-Zoey Day.' Insert eye roll. If only Zoey could see his mom for what she actually was, instead of the television star she saw. Lauren abandoned them for fame. She terminated her parental rights of her ten year old son and her two year old daughter. For a stupid television show. And then she married one of the leads on said show, had an extremely public wedding that none of them were invited too, and basically forgot about her family for her new Hollywood life.

Zed always wished he had the confidence to tell her off, tell Lauren how he felt and how everything she had done affected his life and Zoey's. He longed for the day that he could destroy his mother the same way she destroyed him—destroyed his dad. When Lauren left, she took everything from them—not only half of everything they owned, but all of his dad. Zed had to become the dad and mom for Zoey and himself. His dad is heartbroken, to the day. He's a shell of the man he used to be, before the divorce and the move and everything. Zed rarely even sees his dad; he's always working to keep busy. And when they do see each other it's always brief and stale conversation that isn't worth anything.

His phone starts ringing and he picks it up to see _Lesbian Rosa Parks_ and answers his phone. "I didn't think you'd be up before two," he says as a greeting.

"_I'm bored and don't want to study. Be here in fifteen minutes_." And then she hung up.

She could have honestly just texted him.

He gets dressed and brushes his teeth, grabbing a donut from the fridge before leaving. Missy Davis is tending to her garden in the front yard and waves to Zed as he walks past. "Feeling better Sweetie?" Missy calls.

"Yes ma'am," he says.

"That's good! Have a nice day!"

Zed smiles and gives her wave, then continues on his way to his best friend's house. It's less than a ten minute walk and he has to cross one major street to get there. He has a key to her house and lets himself in. He walks into the kitchen, knowing that's where he'll find his best friend.

"Hey dickface," Eliza greets. She's sitting on the counter eating dry cereal with an open two-liter of orange soda next to her. It's so Eliza Zed can't help but roll his eyes.

"Why did you make me come over here?" Zed asks.

Eliza shrugs. "We haven't talked in _years_," she complains.

"Leave the dramatics for Bonzo, we saw each other two days ago."

"You didn't text me yesterday," Eliza points out. "You always text me after work. What's up? How was work? How was your day?"

Zed grabs a chair from the kitchen table and sits it in front of her. "You're not gonna believe this, E," he says. "Addison Davis came in yesterday. To talk to me."

Eliza drops her cereal box on the floor. Her mouth falls open and her eyes go wide. Zed holds back his laughter. Eliza knows everything there is to know about Zed which includes his embarrassing unrequited love for Addison.

"We need to get Bonnie over here," she says, grabbing her phone. "Don't say another word until he's here!"

* * *

Eliza Scythes and Bonzo Izaki. Zed's best friends since the first grade. Zed and Eliza were table buddies and, at lunch, Eliza introduced Zed to her neighbor from across the street, Bonzo. That wasn't his real name but no one would ever tell Zed what it actually was. The point was that they were the three amigos, inseparable except when Zed had work or Eliza was working on some scholarships or Bonzo had band.

They gather in Eliza's basement with several bags of chips and soda, and Bonzo and Eliza look at Zed expectantly. If they weren't his best friends, he would have been intimidated. But they meet like this maybe once every three days, so he's used to it (though it's usually him and Bonzo ganging up against Eliza).

"So yesterday, Addison Davis came to the cafe," Zed explains. "To talk to me. She didn't order any food or anything."

"What'd she want?" Eliza asks.

"Her mom invited us over for dinner, but she wanted to go out. So she asked me to pretend to be sick so she could get out of dinner."

Bonzo raises a curious eyebrow and asks, "What did you do?"

"I pretended to be sick, duh." Zed rolls his eyes. It's as if they don't even know him. "And because I helped her out of dinner, she let me come with her!"

Eliza and Bonzo gasp and Zed grins proudly. These storytimes are never usually about him and the one time it is, he's got a kickass story that has them on the edge of their seats.

"You went out with Addison Davis?" Eliza asks in disbelief. "Like, eyebrow piercing, cursed out Dr. Johnson, Addison Davis?"

Zed nods, and Eliza scoffs. "Holy crap, I never thought I'd see the day."

"Me either!"

"What'd you do?" Bonzo asks.

"Well technically, we both snuck out so this doesn't leave the basement," Zed warns. "But we went to Suma, to a concert, and Addison is a _singer_. She was performing! It was intense and so cool! Best concert of my life!"

Bonzo and Eliza exchange a look, laughing. "And after, we went out for dinner and we had milkshakes and—" Zed sighs happily, leaning back in his beanbag. "I'm so in love with her."

"So now what? Are you guys going out again or something? Like a date?" Bonzo asks.

Zed rolls his eyes to distract from his reddening cheeks. "It wasn't a date, she barely knows I exist," Zed says. "It was just a favor she needed from me."

It was fate that his phone starts ringing the second the last word leave his mouth and it's Addison Davis calling him. His friends lean over to see his phone screen; he doesn't have to look to know they both have smug smirks on their faces.

"Put it on speaker!" Eliza says when he answers the phone.

Zed puts a finger to his lips but does as she asked. "Hello?" he answers.

"_What are you doing today_?"

"What is with you girls and not saying hello?" he mutters.

Eliza laughs and so does Addison. "_I'm not quite sure what you're talking about, but you haven't answered my question, Zed._"

"Oh, well." Zed glances at Eliza and Bonzo, who are both gesturing wildly. He interrupts it as them saying that he's free, which is what he tells Addison.

"_I'm gonna send you an address. Can you meet me there at…one?_"

"Um, where, exactly?"

"_It's a surprise, Zed. But don't worry, it's in Seabrook. You can probably walk there, I dunno. I have a car, so I can drive you. But it's not like you're home_."

"Are you stalking me?" Zed teases, making Addison laugh.

"_I can see in your bedroom, I know when you left_."

Zed laughs and sits up. "Yeah I'll meet you. And I can walk pretty much everywhere in Seabrook, so."

"_Okay. See you in a few hours._"

Addison hangs up before he can say bye. Zed frowns at his phone, let's it drop to the floor, and looks up at his friends. Both their jaws were hanging open in what Zed assumes is shock. He grabs his phone and snaps a quick picture of the moment, right before they recover from their surprise. Eliza leans back and blinks, still reeling from the conversation. Bonzo gives Zed a shit-eating grin and Zed internally groans; that's the look Bonzo makes before he says something Zed hates. It happens every time.

"Addison Davis just asked you out on a date!" Bonzo exclaims.

This time, Zed groans out loud. "It's not a date. We're just…friends, I think. I don't even think you can call us friends. We hung out once. And I spent the whole night stuttering and blushing."

"But you're always like that," Eliza points out. "At least around her."

That's fair. Zed shrugs, not knowing what else to say.

"Are we gonna scheme or sit here and stare at each other?" Bonzo asked.

"Scheme, duh. I wanna see the train wreck in person."

"No," Zed says firmly. Eliza frowns at him while Bonzo looks shocked, which is all justified. Zed isn't the type of person to get serious, especially with his friends. "I'm gonna hang out with Addison and if I have anything to tell you guys, I'll tell you. No spying."

* * *

The address Addison sends is a park. When he gets there, he finds her sitting at the swing set. She's wearing ripped blue jeans and a white graphic tee shirt that's casual and not much like the eccentric clothing she usually wears.

"Hey Z," she greets once he gets close enough. She nods her head toward the vacant swing next to her and asks, "Wanna swing?"

He smiles and sits down, the momentum making him rock a little. "I got bored," she tells him. "All my friends are at school and Bree has a stupid test tomorrow, so I figured we could hang out. 'Cause I really liked spending time with you last night."

Zed whips his head to look at her and catches sight of her slight blush. It's quite possibly the cutest thing Zed has ever seen.

"I…I like spending time with you too," he says. "It's not…it's nothing like I thought it would be."

Addison looks up at him, a teasing smile on her face. "And what did you expect it to be, Z?"

He blushes, not only because he's being put on the spot but also because of the nickname she's used twice now. His chest hurt just thinking about her and fantasizing about cute dates and more milkshakes and going to more of her concerts.

"I guess I've never really thought about it," he says slowly. "Like, hanging out with you. We've been neighbors for so long…and this is the first time in like, ten years, we've ever hung out like this."

"Yeah," she whispers. "I'm sorry about that, too. I wanted to, but, I just—I had a lot going on. Growing up."

Zed's eyebrows raise in surprise. He hadn't known that, he thought Addison was just perfect. She had the perfect life, at least by the textbook definition of a perfect life. But everything wasn't always as it seemed.

"I like to come to the swings," she says, changing the topic. "I like swinging as high as I can. So I can be on top of the world. It makes me feel so…empowered. Like I can do anything. I can stand up for myself and I don't have to sneak around, or pretend to be something I'm not. It's just me and the swings."

It wasn't a change of topic, now that he's heard what she said. And he can relate to her too. He spends his entire life blending into the shadows, going with whatever other people say. All he ever wanted was to stand up for himself and express what he felt—not just at home. He had dreams, he had things he wanted to do. But he let himself get talked out of it and wasted his high school years. Maybe if he swung, he'd feel the power that Addison was talking about.

"Bet I can swing higher than you," Zed challenges.

Addison giggles. "Of course you can. Your legs are twice as long as mine!"

Zed laughs and they both walk backwards in the rubber mulch until they were each on their tippy-toes. Addison turns her head to him and smiles. "Ready?"

"Hell yeah."

Addison ends up swinging higher than him but he doesn't mind. He just likes the rush he gets as he swings as high as he can.


	4. Chapter 4

They move from the swings to a nice hill not too far from the lake. There's a gentle breeze blowing that makes Addison's hair flutter in the wind. She scrunches her nose when she gets hit with a sprinkle of lake water but it's honestly such a cute moment that Zed takes mental note of it.

They lay in the grass and look out at the clouds. It's silent between them and Zed is completely at peace with the world, for the first time in a while.

His state of peace is interrupted by his phone ringing next to him. He picks it up to see who's calling and rolls his eyes when it's his mom. Addison scoots closer to snoop on his phone and catches him declining his mom's call.

"Hey, I thought I was the only one with parent issues," Addison teases.

Zed forces a smile to be nice. He doesn't really like talking about his mom. It made him upset and he didn't like being upset, especially around someone he had such a large crush on.

Unfortunately for him, Addison sees right through his expression. She props herself up on an elbow and asks seriously, "What's wrong? Like, with you and your mom?"

"Nothing," he mumbles. "Old stuff. Not important."

"It's obviously important, otherwise you would've answered her call."

She had a point. Zed sighs and shifts his gaze from her face to the sky. If he doesn't have to look at her, he won't feel guilty. His plan fails when Addison nudges his shoulder and says, "You can trust me, Zed. Alpha and omega, right?"

Zed sits up, his eyes widening in surprise. Their parents used to call them that when they were little—A and Z, beginning and end, alpha and omega. Addison's mom had come up with it and taken a whole afternoon to explain what it meant to them. But after, they used it as their "You can trust me" code. And the fact that Addison remembers makes his heart swell in ways he can't even understand.

"I can't believe you remember that," he breathes.

"Of course I do," she says. "You're the most trustworthy person I know. A to Z, everything stays between you and me."

"Alpha and omega," he breathes.

She smiles and nods. "Now tell me what's up. I thought you and your mom were like, best friends."

"When I was four," he snorts. "If you didn't know, she's a…"creative" or some bullshit. When she was pregnant with Zoey, she got this idea for a show. So while she was on maternity leave, she wrote it up and spent like a year working on it."

Addison sits up completely, folding her hands in her lap. It's cute and distracting in the worst way. He pauses for a moment before continuing with his story.

"Like a year later or something, her script got picked up for television." He purses his lips at the memory. "Lauren decided the best time to tell us all was my tenth birthday."

Addison winces and Zed nods. His eyes fall to the grass so he doesn't have to see the pitiful look Addison is giving him.

"My Dad was bringing out my cake, and she just goes 'I'm gonna be on T.V., I'm moving to Los Angeles in a month' and my dad was so shocked he dropped my whole cake. And I was ten, so I was pretty pissed off."

He snorts to try and lighten the mood, then continues. "So, then my dad was all like 'what are you talking about' and Lauren goes 'oh I sent my scripts and they loved it they wanna film it' blah blah. Mind you, this is the middle of my birthday party. Dad is clearly mad but he's already f-ed up my party so they decide to continue it later. Which leads to four days of constant fighting between them. Then one day, I come home from school, and Lauren is gone and all her shit is gone and Dad is a depressed mess in his room."

Zed purses his lips into a line. He hates thinking about what his mom did to them, how she emotionally destroyed his dad, how she abandoned him and Zoey for some stupid dream.

Addison puts her hand on his knee. He lifts his head and makes eye contact with her. Her eyes are soft and understanding and he can feel the tension leaving his body. This is Addison he's talking to. They have their own code word. Leave it to her to be the only one to actually make him feel better, seven years later.

"I'm sorry," she says earnestly. "That must really suck."

"The worst part is that she just waltzes in whenever she wants to decide to be a parent." Zed rolls his eyes. "She's here, right now, out with Zoey. Pretending like she cares about us."

"What do you usually do when she comes round?"

"Hide at Eliza's house."

Addison pats his knee and smiles. "Don't worry, you can hide with me," she says. "I think your mom still loves me, so I can be a great distraction so you don't have to speak to her ever again."

Zed snorts and shakes his head. "That's impossible."

"You're going to college next August, you won't be obligated to go back home after that."

Zed shakes his head at her. He doesn't have any plans on going to college. "That's too expensive," he tells her. "I mean, maybe I can get a few classes at Seabrook Community College but…" He gestured vaguely in the air and Addison nods, getting his meaning.

"I'm not going to college either," she says. She turns and lays back in the grass. Zed takes it as his queue to do the same. "I'm gonna be a rockstar."

Zed snorts and elbows her side. "I'm gonna be your biggest fan," he tells her. "I'll be at all of your shows. Have all of your merchandise."

"You'll post embarrassing pictures of me from the seventh grade on my birthday."

"Please, I'll have up-to-date embarrassing pictures."

Addison shakes with laughter. "You'll be my own personal groupie, even though you've only been to one show."

"That means you gotta invite me to all of your future shows."

Addison hums in agreement. Zed turns his head and looks at her, seeing her still smiling, amused. It's silent for a minute, then another, until they're laying without talking. It's nice and peaceful. After what feels like five minutes, Addison nuzzles into his side.

"You're really nice, Zed," she tells him. "I like hanging out with you. When you're not stuttering. Your blush is cute though."

Zed doesn't really know what he's supposed to say. He smiles and turns his head down to rest on top of hers. Addison pokes his side and giggles.

* * *

Zed doesn't go home until close to dinner time. Addison drives them back, and wishes him luck before he goes inside. His mom managed to wrap him in with going out to dinner with her and Zoey, which he doesn't want to do in the slightest. Part of him wants to tell her that, and also to go suck it and never come back. But the bigger, more sensible part of him tells him to just get dressed and go with her.

On the bright side, he's getting a free meal. "Where do you guys wanna go?" Lauren asks them.

Zoey instantly suggests the diner a block away. Zed doesn't mind it. They have pretty good pancakes that you can eat at any hour. Plus, Zed has a hankering for milkshakes. Though when he goes out to the diner with his mom and sister, he feels like he's cheating on Addison. They went to a diner _once_ and he can't help but think it's their thing.

Lauren takes them back home after dinner and drives away once they're inside. Their dad isn't home, which is odd considering how late it is, but Zed is too tired to call and check on his father. He's probably working late anyway. Zed gets Zoey ready for bed and makes sure she's tucked in before going and taking a shower. He doesn't think about Addison, which is a first, and brushes his teeth before going to his bedroom.

Zed doesn't realize that he is standing butt naked in front of his window until he gets a text from Addison. He pulls on a pair of boxers and grabs his phone.

_Addison Davis (NEIGHBOR): Cute butt ;)_

He whips around and sees Addison sitting on her windowsill. He shrieks (a high-pitched, embarrassing sound that he's ashamed he even made) and ducks behind his bed. He wraps himself up in his blanket, his heart racing. Addison Davis just saw his bare ass and she's probably laughing at him and—fuck. He's breathing out of control and nothing is helping because the girl he's been in love with for years just saw him butt naked and nothing in the entire universe could make the situation better.

All he wants is to crawl into a hole and die. Maybe he can. If he never leaves his room again, he'll never have to face the reality of the situation. And he'll die, slowly but surely.

There's knocking at his window and he wants to ignore it. Maybe if he stays swaddled up in bed whoever's knocking (probably Addison) will go away. She doesn't, and yep minutes later he peeks out from his blanket swaddle to see her smiling at him through the window. He shimmies his way off of his bed, refusing to get out of the swaddle, and walks over to the window, kneeling down and letting Addison pull it up.

"I meant what I said," she says. "You have a cute butt."

Zed looks away from her. He wants to cry, honestly. He had thought he'd been making progress with his never ending, overwhelming crush on Addison and now she's seen him _naked_. He's about to close his window and crawl back in bed and die when Addison says, "I'm sorry, if what I said made you uncomfortable. I was just teasing you."

Zed's eyes flicker over to her and catch sight of her regretful expression. He turns back to fully gauge her sad and sorry eyes and softens up.

"I-You're okay," he tells her, trying his best to be reassuring. His voice is barely above a whisper but he's sure Addison hears him. He loosens his grip on his blanket just enough so that it falls off of his head and around his shoulders. "It's just embarrassing."

Addison's lips curl in an amused smile. "That I saw your butt?" He nods and she laughs. "Dude, I'm sure you've seen me _completely_ naked!"

He has, several times. But they were all accidents! He can't help but laugh though, the blood finally receding from his face. He was sure he still had a light blush on his face, but at least he wasn't as red as a tomato anymore.

Addison's giggling too, and leans over to pinch his cheek. "Now stop pouting," she says. She stands up, which is when Zed notices she's in her pajamas. "Get dressed and go to bed. We have a quiz in physics tomorrow."

"Goodnight Addison."

"Night Z."

He watches her climb back into her bedroom, give him a wave, and close it. Zed smiles to himself and closes his window—and his blinds too. He's not going through that embarrassment again. He goes to his drawers, pulls out pajamas and gets changed. Once he's wearing clothes, he leaves his blanket on his bed and goes to his desk to pack for school the next day. Once he's triple checked his bag, he shuts off his lights and crawls into bed.

There are no dreams of Addison, only nightmares of going to school in his underwear.


End file.
